Chatham Islands Parakeet
Cyanoramphus forbesi
The Chatham Islands Parakeet (Cyanoramphus forbesi) is a legendary old world parrot found only in New Zealand, weighing about 90 g. The Chatham Islands parakeet, also known as Forbes' parakeet, is a rare parakeet endemic to the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand.
About the Chatham Islands Parakeet
The Chatham Islands parakeet, also known as Forbes' parakeet, is a rare parakeet endemic to the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand. This parakeet is one of New Zealand's rarest birds and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as a result of a range of threats to the species survival, including habitat loss, predation, and hybridization. A number of conservation methods have been employed to assist the recovery of this species, and currently the population trend is considered stable.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Forbes' parakeets are medium-sized parakeets, with long tails and orange-red eyes. Plumage is bright green, with a red band across the forehead (but not reaching the eyes) and a yellow forecrown. The lores are also green, and the bird has some red plumage on the sides of the rump, and violet-blue outer primaries and wing coverts. The female parakeet is slightly smaller than the male, which is also reflected in her smaller bill size.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, March, May, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in March. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Chatham Islands Parakeet?
- Forbes' parakeets are medium-sized parakeets, with long tails and orange-red eyes. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Chatham Islands Parakeet?
- The Chatham Islands Parakeet is a medium sized bird weighing about 90 g.
- Where can you see a Chatham Islands Parakeet?
- The Chatham Islands Parakeet is endemic to New Zealand, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Chatham Islands Parakeet?
- The Chatham Islands Parakeet is most easily confused with the New Caledonian Parakeet, the Antipodes Parakeet and the Norfolk Parakeet.
- Is the Chatham Islands Parakeet endangered?
- The Chatham Islands Parakeet is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Chatham Islands Parakeet for real
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